Motorola Moto G (2nd Gen) review

The Motorola Moto G (2nd Gen) currently has an Informr score of 8.2 out of 10.
This score is based on our evaluation of 56
sources including reviews from users and the web's most trusted critics.

The "1-Minute" Review

What's good

Improved photo quality

Good battery life

Decent performance during everyday tasks

Good overall screen sharpness

What's bad

Internal storage limited to 8GB

Processor cannot handle graphics-intensive games

Tinny sounding speakers

The Moto G 2014 is Motorola's follow-up to their highly successful budget smartphone – the Moto G. Despite sharing the same name, the Moto G 2014 comes with some new upgrades, most noticeably a larger screen. The 5-inch display retains the same 720p resolution, which drops the pixel density to 294ppi. Although not up to par with retina displays, reviewers were satisfied with its overall sharpness though they add that they display doesn't have the best viewing angles and contrast. Still, Ars Technica notes, "The screen is great for the price…"

Besides the larger screen, the Moto G 2014's design doesn't differ too much from its predecessor. It retains the same plastic chassis, interchangeable shells and slightly arched back cover. While slightly wider and taller, the Moto G 2014 offers the same 0.4 inch thickness as the original and is a tad heavier at 149 grams. The speakers, however, have moved from the back of the phone to the front. When reviewers compare the speakers to the previous version, they notice a jump in volume but describe the sound quality as "tinny." PC Advisors adds, "They're not great for music, but when playing games and watching videos…you'll appreciate both the stereo separation and decent quality."

The new Moto G sports a fairly basic spec sheet: a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and a 2070 mAh battery. It isn't going to win any performance awards, but critics found it suitable enough for everyday tasks like browsing the web, playing casual games and checking emails. They do warn that it isn't capable of handling graphics or processor intensive games or apps. Due in part to the lower less powerful processor, reviewers note that the 2070 mAh battery can provide a solid one day's worth of juice during moderate usage. Internal storage is limited to 8GB though the phone does come with a microSD slot.

Besides the screen, the other big upgrade for the Moto G 2014 is the camera. Instead of a 5MP snapper, Motorola has increased the camera's resolution to 8MP. In comparison to the previous version, critics note huge improvements with color reproduction, low and indoor images and details.

Although Motorola doesn't really stray too far from the original formula, critics still recommend it as an excellent budget phone choice. Phone Arena states, "The handset screams value from every face." ZDNet adds, "As far as the new Moto G is concerned…we see no reason why it shouldn't continue the success of its predecessor."

What the Critics Are Saying...

You don’t have to search long to uncover the Moto G’s shortcomings, but if you meet them in the middle, it’s easier to embrace the phone for what it is. It’s not the market-changer like its 2014 predecessor, but that’s only because it’s upholding its predecessor&r...

- Michael Desjardin, Reviewed

Two years ago, the Moto G was the best budget handset around, offering a good screen size and a quad-core Snapdragon 410 chipset that were ahead of its time for the price. Six months ago, the Moto G (2014) kept the same internals, while increasing the screen size to still feel like a great budget op...

- Robert Zak, AndroidPIT

The Moto G 4G 2015 edition it is a great device, at a decent price, with a great display, a Micro SD and some front facing speakers and a pretty decent rear camera. Yes it would be an amazing device with just a little bit more internal memory, but that would cost more. The spec difference between th...

- Jp_hero, Coolsmartphone

The same verdict applies to Motorola's Moto G 2nd Gen G4 as for the Moto G2 UMTS model. The significant modifications are LTE, the brighter but overall only marginally better screen (production deviation?), and the storage's considerably faster transfer rate that is barely reflected in the overall s...

- Sven Kloevekorn, Notebookcheck

If you're looking for a cheap 4G smartphone then the Moto E 4G is the best deal on the market right now. If you would rather have a cheap dual-SIM phone with 3G connectivity then the mark 3 Moto G is your best bet. But the new Moto G 4G for 2015 is not the best phone for either customer, and its lar...

Prices (Where to Buy)

Common Questions

Motorola Moto G (2nd Gen) prices will vary depending on retailer, age, special offers and whether or not it's purchased with a service plan. If purchased with a 2 year service contract for example, you would likely pay much less for the phone itself up front. Motorola's suggested retail price is $179.99. You can compare Moto G (2nd Gen) prices from around the web here on The Informr.

If your Moto G (2nd Gen) has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Motorola support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Motorola's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.

Critic Reviews

Middle-of-the-road performance at an affordable price

You don’t have to search long to uncover the Moto G’s shortcomings, but if you meet them in the middle, it’s easier to embrace the phone for what it is. It’s not the market-changer like its 2014 predecessor, but that’s only because it’s upholding its predecessor’s tradition. The Moto G is a smartphone for consumers who find value in simplicity rather than bells and whistles. Its lack of bloatware, its comfortable design, and its outstanding battery life add up to a phone that's here to please the crowd rather than dazzle the competition...

You don’t have to search long to uncover the Moto G’s shortcomings, but if you meet them in the middle, it’s easier to embrace the phone for what it is. It’s not the market-changer like its 2014 predecessor, but that’s only because it’s upholding its predecessor’s tradition. The Moto G is a smartphone for consumers who find value in simplicity rather than bells and whistles. Its lack of bloatware, its comfortable design, and its outstanding battery life add up to a phone that's here to please the crowd rather than dazzle the competition.

Make no mistake: This is not the type of bargain that will leave you feeling high in dry in a few months' time. Motorola has produced a practical device that cuts corners in a very measured way. If you're hoping to do more than basic point-and-shoot photography, you might want to explore other options—the absence of a decent camera is sure to have shutterbugs shying away from it. If solid performance and the price to match is what's important to you, you could certainly do much worse than the Moto G.

Slight improvement to a proven formula

Two years ago, the Moto G was the best budget handset around, offering a good screen size and a quad-core Snapdragon 410 chipset that were ahead of its time for the price. Six months ago, the Moto G (2014) kept the same internals, while increasing the screen size to still feel like a great budget option. With this latest variant, the glacially-changing Moto G line is finally starting to show its age, particularly in light of growing competition from Chinese manufacturers like Huawei and Xiaomi...

Two years ago, the Moto G was the best budget handset around, offering a good screen size and a quad-core Snapdragon 410 chipset that were ahead of its time for the price. Six months ago, the Moto G (2014) kept the same internals, while increasing the screen size to still feel like a great budget option. With this latest variant, the glacially-changing Moto G line is finally starting to show its age, particularly in light of growing competition from Chinese manufacturers like Huawei and Xiaomi.

The Moto G 4G (2015) remains a good budget phone, but we hope that the next Moto G - which we're expecting to see later in the year - takes a big step forward in terms of hardware so it can keep up with its rivals.

Seriously impressive in its own right

The Moto G 4G 2015 edition it is a great device, at a decent price, with a great display, a Micro SD and some front facing speakers and a pretty decent rear camera. Yes it would be an amazing device with just a little bit more internal memory, but that would cost more. The spec difference between...More

The Moto G 4G 2015 edition it is a great device, at a decent price, with a great display, a Micro SD and some front facing speakers and a pretty decent rear camera. Yes it would be an amazing device with just a little bit more internal memory, but that would cost more. The spec difference between this and the new Moto E is confusing as the Moto E seems to have a better processor. But I feel that this model is seriously impressive in its own right and that’s probably just down to Lollipop and decent 4G.

Bright, very color accurate screen but middling performance

The same verdict applies to Motorola's Moto G 2nd Gen G4 as for the Moto G2 UMTS model. The significant modifications are LTE, the brighter but overall only marginally better screen (production deviation?), and the storage's considerably faster transfer rate that is barely reflected in the overall scores of the other benchmarks. Unexpectedly, and in the opinion of the tester, the significantly classier Lollipop now in Material Design and its many improvements over KitKat, does not give the new model a speed advantage despite identical core components. Although that is disappointing, the new model only costs approximately 20 Euros (~$22) more than the Moto G2....

The same verdict applies to Motorola's Moto G 2nd Gen G4 as for the Moto G2 UMTS model. The significant modifications are LTE, the brighter but overall only marginally better screen (production deviation?), and the storage's considerably faster transfer rate that is barely reflected in the overall scores of the other benchmarks. Unexpectedly, and in the opinion of the tester, the significantly classier Lollipop now in Material Design and its many improvements over KitKat, does not give the new model a speed advantage despite identical core components. Although that is disappointing, the new model only costs approximately 20 Euros (~$22) more than the Moto G2.

Anyone who finds the second generation Moto G appealing and can live without a dual-SIM but not without high-speed LTE data transmission does not have to think twice and can grab it.

Poor successor to the best budget phone on the market and no match for the cheaper Moto E

If you're looking for a cheap 4G smartphone then the Moto E 4G is the best deal on the market right now. If you would rather have a cheap dual-SIM phone with 3G connectivity then the mark 3 Moto G is your best bet. But the new Moto G 4G for 2015 is not the best phone for either customer, and its...More

If you're looking for a cheap 4G smartphone then the Moto E 4G is the best deal on the market right now. If you would rather have a cheap dual-SIM phone with 3G connectivity then the mark 3 Moto G is your best bet. But the new Moto G 4G for 2015 is not the best phone for either customer, and its larger, higher-resolution screen, marginally improved photography credentials and stereo sound are not enough for us to turn a blind eye to its £60 higher price, slower hardware and missing software features.

An accomplished budget smartphone

Motorola truly impressed us with the original Moto G, a budget smartphone that, at launch, was untouchable. But its larger-scale and slightly more expensive follow-up was a little less impressive due to a bulkier design and lack of 4G.

Motorola truly impressed us with the original Moto G, a budget smartphone that, at launch, was untouchable. But its larger-scale and slightly more expensive follow-up was a little less impressive due to a bulkier design and lack of 4G.

Which is where, in part, the Moto G 2015 comes in to rectify things. Although it's still large and isn't the cheapest route to buying a 4G handset, it's an altogether affordable offering that delivers on its speedy connectivity promise. Add the latest Android Lollipop operating system, a few added software bonuses from Motorola, solid battery life and it's a solid all-round performer.

The slightest of improvements

Two years ago, the Moto G was the best budget handset around, offering a good screen size and a quad-core Snapdragon 410 chipset that were ahead of its time for the price. Six months ago, the Moto G (2014) kept the same internals, while increasing the screen size to still feel like a great budget option. With this latest variant, the glacially-changing Moto G line is finally starting to show its age, particularly in light of growing competition from Chinese manufacturers like Huawei and Xiaomi...

Two years ago, the Moto G was the best budget handset around, offering a good screen size and a quad-core Snapdragon 410 chipset that were ahead of its time for the price. Six months ago, the Moto G (2014) kept the same internals, while increasing the screen size to still feel like a great budget option. With this latest variant, the glacially-changing Moto G line is finally starting to show its age, particularly in light of growing competition from Chinese manufacturers like Huawei and Xiaomi.

The Moto G 4G (2015) remains a good budget phone, but we hope that the next Moto G - which we're expecting to see later in the year - takes a big step forward in terms of hardware so it can keep up with its rivals.

A poor successor to the best budget phone on the market

If you're looking for a cheap 4G smartphone then the Moto E 4G is the best deal on the market right now. If you would rather have a cheap dual-SIM phone with 3G connectivity then the mark 3 Moto G is your best bet. But the new Moto G 4G for 2015 is not the best phone for either customer, and its...More

If you're looking for a cheap 4G smartphone then the Moto E 4G is the best deal on the market right now. If you would rather have a cheap dual-SIM phone with 3G connectivity then the mark 3 Moto G is your best bet. But the new Moto G 4G for 2015 is not the best phone for either customer, and its larger, higher-resolution screen, marginally improved photography credentials and stereo sound are not enough for us to turn a blind eye to its £60 higher price, slower hardware and missing software features.

Premium feel, affordable price

The Moto G definitely feels more expensive than it is though — and not only physically, but from both a performance and OS usability standpoint too.

Despite the lower-end hardware, it’s generally fast unlock the phone, fire up the camera or launch apps and games, with only a little bit of lag here and there (most notably when returning back to the Home screen, where the icons can often take half a second the reappear)...

The Moto G definitely feels more expensive than it is though — and not only physically, but from both a performance and OS usability standpoint too.

Despite the lower-end hardware, it’s generally fast unlock the phone, fire up the camera or launch apps and games, with only a little bit of lag here and there (most notably when returning back to the Home screen, where the icons can often take half a second the reappear).

It isn’t perfect, then, and Motorola’s also deliberately held some software features back (like the ability to customise the quick settings buttons in the notifications area, or Active Display which shows notifications on the screen) for its higher-end Moto X.

In short, though it may be priced like a featherweight, the new Moto G’s got a punch that can take down opponents at twice its price. Definitely a contender.

Budget Android at its best

The Moto G isn’t really that much different from the 2013 model, but that’s not a bad thing. Motorola has replicated last year’s success with the 2014 model, proving that the company has finally accomplished the mission it laid out with the 2013 Moto line: strike the perfect balance between price, functionality and design. While the 2013 Moto X was supposed to be the poster child of that mission, it fell short in many ways, namely in the realm of pricing. That crown now goes to the 2014 Moto G, a semi-powerful bloatware free Android device for under $200...

The Moto G isn’t really that much different from the 2013 model, but that’s not a bad thing. Motorola has replicated last year’s success with the 2014 model, proving that the company has finally accomplished the mission it laid out with the 2013 Moto line: strike the perfect balance between price, functionality and design. While the 2013 Moto X was supposed to be the poster child of that mission, it fell short in many ways, namely in the realm of pricing. That crown now goes to the 2014 Moto G, a semi-powerful bloatware free Android device for under $200.

If you’re in the market for a new smartphone and don’t want to break the bank, the 2014 Moto G is for you. It’s not going to please those who are used to the latest bells and whistles. But if good enough is your thing, the Moto G is definitely worth a look. It may not look like much, but the Moto G is a delightfully simple device with an even more delightful pricetag.

Excellent mid ranger with poor battery life!

As promised, Motorola upgraded the OS to Android 5.0

I bought this phone a few months ago, partly because Motorola said on their website that they would be upgrading the phone's Android to Lollipop, and I just got the upgrade! Thanks for following through Motorola. My previous phone, from LG, was supposed to be upgradeable to Android 2.3, but I never got the upgrade in the 3.5 years I had that phone.

I bought this phone a few months ago, partly because Motorola said on their website that they would be upgrading the phone's Android to Lollipop, and I just got the upgrade! Thanks for following through Motorola. My previous phone, from LG, was supposed to be upgradeable to Android 2.3, but I never got the upgrade in the 3.5 years I had that phone.
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LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT !

Classic Phone at a mind blowing price. I was using samsung S3 for last 2 years but i feel now that Moto G2 is way better than S3. If any one is thinking to buy this phone so ............... don't think just get it.

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